


The Power of Non-Fat Mocha Latte

by Fangirlinit



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-23
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-12-06 00:42:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11589498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fangirlinit/pseuds/Fangirlinit
Summary: There are few job opportunities available to a reformed alien terrorist. For Astra, she would rather serve coffee to the masses than work for the DEO and that’s exactly what she decides to do. To Alex, this new transformation is just too bizarre to be bought. In her effort to hunt down the truth, she learns a little truth about herself.





	1. You Stupid Alien

**Author's Note:**

> Unfortunately, I was unable to participate in this year's General Danvers Appreciation Week. I have, however, been meaning to post this story and now seems as good a time as any. Maybe that makes up for my missing out? I also have a medieval AU fic that will be posted soon(ish). In any case, enjoy, friends!

Sparks lit the air. A clot of gravel spewed up. The bitter taste of dirt clung to Alex’s tongue. It distorted her vision, encouraging her to mind the uneven ground.

Everything was chaos: the torn up earth and the warped, crushed cars stacked one atop the other in mountain-like formations. The place was, essentially, the definition of trash. All personnel had long gone home. The abandoned forklifts and industrial devices gave the junkyard a haunted atmosphere.

One of the alien hostiles just made a hole out of a steel cargo container and was staring her down. Peeved, Alex tilted her head and aimed for his kneecaps. Two shots, turn, sprint, fire another round, turn, sprint… That had been Alex’s strategy. It was mind numbing and tedious, but it had kept her alive so far.

The hostiles were shoving cars left and right to get to Alex. They were stirring up a hailstorm of dirt and screeching metal. She was dodging them as best as she could and had been lucky enough not to worry about a car hurled in _her_ direction. Not yet.

The lone hostile she’d been tracking had lured her out in the hope of an ambush. Smart hostile. He didn’t exactly fit the profile of smart, though. He looked more like a really buff hobo. The only reason why she was tailing him was because Hank got a tip from his super secret informant in Gotham. And like an obedient agent, Alex suited up in her lucky bulletproof vest and geared up for the party.

Not much was known about this alien species, nicknamed “Urchins.” They kept to the shadows like rats in the sewer, only lashing out when provoked and not taking much interest in the general human population. Reports of attacks were few and far between and the intelligence gathered on them by the DEO was slim. What they did know was that Urchins were the alien vagabonds of Earth. By themselves they were simple to eliminate, but in numbers they were a force to be reckoned with.

Alex realized her mistake _after_ the fact. By then it was too late to call it a mistake and shake hands. Especially when she shot a bullet through the head of their biggest guy. That seemed to make things worse.

Alex’s second mistake came to light when the big guy didn’t go down. He stood there, like a zombie straight out of the movies, itching between the eyes like the mark was a mosquito bite and not a bullet hole. It was best Kara wasn’t around or she’d suffer from excessive cringing.

“What the hell?” Alex retreated from the monsters. “I have _not_ watched enough horror movies to deal with this crap!”

Bullets appeared useless but that didn’t stop Alex from depleting another clip. She slammed in a new magazine and fired a barrage of rounds. The rifle butt pressed into her shoulder with every squeeze of the trigger. She held fast to the weapon, muscles straining from this drawn out affair.

When she was down to her last mag, she decided to find cover. A diversion was in order.

Alex found herself in the shadow of a junk pile. She aimed high and took out the tires of a ’73 Chevy Blazer. Out of all the hulking cars, that one in particular caught her attention. Maybe it had something to do with her childhood and the summer she spent restoring a truck just like that with her dad.

In that fraction of a second, she almost dropped her rifle, but then an inhuman roar snapped her back to reality. A shot rang out, clean and clear through the dust.

The SUV staggered and prompted an avalanche of steel, rubber, and glass. It would not stop the hostiles but it would give her time.

Alex ran through scraps and hurdled tires until she spotted a shed. She turned the corner and flattened herself against the sheet metal. She had barely a few seconds to catch her breath before she touched her earpiece. “Where’s my fucking backup?!”

Director Henshaw’s voice came through a bit more smooth and crystal than his operative’s. _“On its way. ETA 10 minutes.”_

“Not fast enough.”

_“You were the one who told Supergirl to take a vacation.”_

“She deserves a little R and R, Hank. Anyway, I took care of my operations just fine before Supergirl came along.”

_“Mm-hm. Still stand by that?”_

Shuffling feet alerted Alex to her pursuers. They were damned fast. Couldn’t they give her a _minute_? Alex shouldered her rifle with a growl. “Got to go.”

She whirled around, but before she could get a shot off a meaty fist stopped her. She took it in the cheek, the force of the blow sending her down hard.

Suddenly, something landed no more than a foot from her nose and kicked up a ton of dust in the process. Alex coughed on the billowing cloud. Through watery eyes she could see the outline of a pair of slim boots.

“Care to engage with someone of more superior breeding?”

The familiar lilting tune cut through the dust. It carried its usual razor edge and bold cadence, but it only ever succeeded in provoking.

“Great,” groaned Alex.

The legion of Urchins looked from the now airborne Kryptonian to their fallen prey. They must have settled for the easier kill because they started toward Alex.

Astra’s breath came faster. Her eyes darted. “Go!”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Alex muttered even as she retreated.

Ego sufficiently bruised, Alex sprinted as fast as she could. Not a minute out, she felt a sizzling heat at her back. Hissing, she dove for cover around the nearest junk heap. She looked just in time to see the beams of heat vision searing a line in the earth, stopping the Urchins in their tracks. Their eyes grew wide and reflected fear in the face of a crimson blaze.

Astra didn’t blink until a rift had been carved between Alex and the hostiles. What she did not anticipate were the cluster of oil drums. The heat caught around some wooden crates, causing a roil of flames, and by then it was too late. The drums melted and bled out their flammable contents.

The junkyard lit up like a Christmas bazaar. A flash of light burned so hot it liquefied the cars around it. The explosion caused a chain reaction. The ground quaked, destabilizing the mountains of garbage and triggering a landslide of sharp objects.

Alex spotted the shadow looming over and craned her neck up. Debris was already starting to tumble towards her. Its peak swayed just enough for gravity to fulfill its downfall. Even if Alex had the humility to call out, backup would come too late.

Unless backup was a Kryptonian.

It all happened so fast. One moment Alex was standing in the shadow of an industrial air conditioner and the next she was airborne.

Frankly, this didn’t come close to her childhood joy rides. Kara had always been gentle to the point of fussing. She never took Alex over water or through the slightest precipitation, and refused to go above the speed limit even when Alex insisted she could take it to the max. Kara knew human boundaries like Alex knew her sister’s. It’s what kept them alive this long.

But this was nothing like flying with Kara. For one, it was uncomfortable. She felt like her waist was being tugged by a bungee cord. It hurt like a bitch and would probably leave a mark too. Secondly, there was little warning. No, “heads up,” or “brace yourself,” or the long-winded but obvious “prepare for a no-holds-barred rescue that will leave your ribs sore till next Tuesday!”

The only upside came as a pressure cradling the back of her head to avoid whiplash. But Alex hadn’t the time to feel grateful at the moment.

The short-lived flight ended with her ass on the ground. It would behoove Guinness to log irony like this in their books. Alex never felt more like yesterday’s garbage. She was tossed out like an afterthought.

The unceremonious landfall knocked the wind out of her. Alex’s curse came too late to be heard much less get a rise out of her rescuer. Astra had already dove back into the fray. She was fighting on the ground amongst the swarm of Urchins. Her blows carried enough power to throw them clear across the yard and her heat vision lopping limbs off like they were doll parts.

Astra hadn’t uttered a peep. No taunts, rage filled screams, or diabolical laughing. Silence could be deadly as well as enigmatic. A silent Kryptonian was no joke, and even if it was, Alex was hardly in the laughing mood.

With every kick and punch Astra beat them into submission. From afar, Alex could hear the crunch of metal under fallen hostiles. They were being handled like a chopped salad. Urchins: tossed and diced with a bit of char for presentation. Alex almost sympathized.

When it was all over the air smelled like carbonized metal and flesh. The instigator of such hell headed back for the safe zone.

Alex propped her hands on her belt. She tracked Astra’s descent with a heated gaze that nearly resembled the Kryptonian’s a moment ago.

“What the hell was that?”

When the toes of her boots touched down, Astra tilted her head. “Pardon?”

Alex scowled before pointing to Astra’s eyes with two fingers and flinging them at the smoking wreckage. “Do you not watch where you’re using those things? I could have gotten roasted like barbecue!”

“I am unable to grasp your analogy, but I can assure you I was watching my aim because my eyes must be open in order to do so.”

“Argh! You stupid alien!”

“Excuse me.” Astra stepped forward, clearly offended. “Are you taking issue with how I saved your life or my saving your life to begin with?”

“I had the situation under control. That fireworks display was completely unnecessary.”

“Really.” Astra didn’t seem curious enough to phrase it as a question.

“Sarcasm doesn’t become you, General. How did you know about the ambush?”

“I heard you.” Astra tucked her chin down while keeping their eyes locked. “I _can_ hear you. Wherever you –“

Alex raised her hand. The power to silence a Kryptonian lent a floaty sensation in her stomach. “Why involve yourself in DEO matters? All they’ve done in return for your help in defeating Myriad is six months of imprisonment. Not that I disagree with their methods.”

A lip curled in retribution. “I would rather dine with a Hellgrammite than cooperate with the DEO.” Then, with a few fluttering blinks, Astra’s bitter expression melted. “I will forgive your discourtesy. Perhaps the battle has left you rattled.”

Alex’s eyes shot up as she muttered, “Or bruised from being dropped out of the sky.”

“As I was saying, you misunderstand my intentions. I came here because I heard your call for backup. _You_ not the DEO. The implications, were I to fail, would have been significant. I classify our association through Kara, not that repulsive organization. You are family, as it were, and I defend family from any threat, foreign or domestic.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“I have realized that. However you fail to account for the differences between humans and Kryptonians. While Kara is capable of protecting herself, you are mortal. Humans bleed. Their bones, once broken, take time to heal. While you have proven yourself as a warrior, you cannot protect yourself from what is out of your control.”

“Have you even considered that I might not want you to be my bodyguard? Just six months ago you wanted to brainwash the entire planet and now you want to be my _family_? Let me give you some advice. Humans don’t forget so quickly, and they don’t forgive easily either. And while I’m at it here’s another thing: having powers does not make you a hero. So stop trying so hard. You’re convincing no one.”

“Those are confident words.”

The fists at Alex’s sides clenched so tight her nails almost drew blood – weak mortal blood. The pain numbed her urge to lash out. She raised her chin and declared, “That’s the smartest thing you’ve said all day.”

Astra gave her a once over. “I stand corrected. You are not rattled.”

“Kind of makes you wonder why you came in the first place, doesn’t it?”

Astra failed to take the bait. She was a mask of indifference. Alex couldn’t guess what she was hiding, but it was enough to make her shy away.

“Yes.” Astra settled with a cursory view of the battlegrounds before circling back to Alex. “Well, I can see you are out of danger now. I will be off. Goodnight.”

The second it left her lips, she averted her gaze skyward.

It was probably written somewhere that Alex had never seen Astra take a hit. She didn’t even know it was possible, but there it was. The barest flicker of hurt slipped through before her military guise took over. It was a blink-and-you-missed-it spectacle. A once in a lifetime opportunity.

Deep down, Alex wished she hadn’t been so harsh. She did not consider herself to be cruel or prejudiced. Her father taught her the virtue of mind over matter. But Alex was human and there were times she just couldn’t back down from a fight. And if anyone could get under her skin it was Astra.

Before Alex could consider an apology, a whistling tailwind beat her to it. Astra was gone.


	2. Science 101

The coffee joint was two blocks from home. Alex usually woke up early enough on Saturday mornings to beat the early risers and those going for their post-workout pick-me-up. Alex herself just finished a run through the park but wasted precious time cooling off in the shower. If she didn’t have to go into work she would have spent the entire day bathing – pruney fingers be damned – but duty called.

By the time she got there the line was out the door. It only took three blocks and a stumble in the middle of the street thanks to untied shoes. Annoyed by the delay, Alex took her place at the end of the line and finished dressing (the bottom three buttons on her shirt, the hood of her jacket currently tucked backward, and the shoelaces).

“Ouch.”

She felt a sharp sting and looked at the heel of her palm. The skin was inflamed and crusted with blood and asphalt. She barely remembered tripping in getting here. It was way too early to be making a complete ass of herself. She usually wasn’t this uncoordinated.

“Moron.”

The man in front of her turned around. He looked every bit as haggard as she before their first shot of caffeine of the day.

She tried smiling. “Not you.”

Expressionless, he turned back around.

Alex blew out through her mouth and rolled her eyes. She decided to stay put and clean her hand later. A little scrap could wait; the people in line with her wouldn’t.

It had been three weeks since her quasi-rescue and Alex was still holding a grudge. She hadn’t forgotten the melodramatic flair or her bruised tailbone which still lingered purple. The only good thing to come from this was the peace and quiet. Astra hadn’t been seen or heard from since and Alex liked it that way.

Coincidentally, the one thing she failed to remember about that night should have left her grateful. The _thing_ being Astra’s recently attained exoneration.

Project Myriad had been thwarted last year as had Non in a pile of ashes á la heat vision. Victory would not have been possible without a bit of otherworldly help. But while General Astra proved her loyalty to Supergirl, the DEO was not so convinced.

After undergoing three months of interrogation, Astra was cleared as a “non-hostile.” Before she could be released, she had to jump through more hoops in the form of supervised rehabilitation (aka imprisonment) for another three months. Kara disputed the conditions, thereby alienating herself from her sister and Director Henshaw. While they upheld procedure, Kara likened her aunt’s situation to Shamu at Sea World: a free spirit captured in the wild and forced into an isolated coffer of an environment.

Despite the prisoner’s response of, “What is a Shamu?” none of this came as a joke to anyone.

While captivity had not suited the Kryptonian, she endured for Kara’s sake. After a six month stay at DEO headquarters, Astra was free to go. Alex had seen her only on occasion, when Kara was in a jam or Alex was making a fool of herself. Case in point: the junk yard rescue.

Outside the coffee shop, a chorus of grumbles resonated. The customers were expressing their displeasure, the most recent being, “God, what’s taking so long?”

Alex was starting to wonder as well. Was the place understaffed or just underprepared for the bombardment of early risers? Whatever the reason, this wait was getting unreasonably long and the customers were royally pissed.

Their answer came with a racket. When the crash of porcelain dishware reached their ears, everyone in line started clapping. Alex thought it a bit cruel even if she found herself joining in with a muttered “ _christ_ ” at the genius who fucked up.

In any place of business like this, there was always a flurry of activity behind the counter (employees bending over backwards to please the customers in exchange for tips and the expedited method of American coffee making), but one barista clearly hadn’t caught on to the daily pressures of the environment.

Alex peeked around the broad shouldered man in front of her. She couldn’t see anything of importance, so she chalked it up to a novice’s first day. When it was her turn to place her order, she paid the cashier and waited off to the side. It took longer than usual. No surprise there, but, really, how long did it take to fill a cup with straight up coffee?

A skidding of shoes and then a tall, overflowing cup of super hot coffee was slid in front of her. Alex looked down at the barista hunched over the mess. So this was the genius fuck up.

The girl used her coffee soiled rag to mop around the underside of the lid and rotated the cup as she did so. Her method was meticulous even if she was breathing laboriously; Alex had to commend her efforts.

A lock of hair slipped out of the knit beanie. Alex ducked her head to see under the cap. Nothing much to see. The thick-rimmed glasses were so high on her nose they probably made an indentation between her brows.

Alex chuckled under her breath.

The woman’s head snapped up – a _woman_ , Alex observed, not a girl, a genius, or a fuck up. Not exactly.

Their eyes locked as they read each other’s expressions. The barista’s face froze and Alex’s remained curious. There was something strange about the woman’s appearance. Very… off. The scientist in Alex had a name for it: anomaly.

Her glasses were made of translucent magenta rims that held lenses too large for her face. She could win the award for nerdiest glasses. Alex didn’t think it possible considering Kara and Clark tie for that every year, but maybe they’ve met their match.

Despite the oversized glasses, her eyes were visibly wide and steely gray. Her dropped jaw further supported her surprise.

Her knit beanie sure lent to the aura of odd. The hipster piece clashed with the work apron, which was a mess of caramel drizzle, milk froth, and three varieties of espresso powder. Based on the trace of long hair, the cap had a practical purpose and was not intended as a fashion statement.

Alex couldn’t put her finger on it. Whoever this barista was, her appearance was neither a memory nor a revelation. There was no harmony between the glasses, the beanie, and the gob smacked expression, like they had been thrown together without forethought. Or as Kara would say: “Like a very unbalanced flavor of ice cream.”

Alex felt like she could forget this woman the minute she walked out the door and yet something would stay put at the back of her mind like a stubborn…

“Damn it, Laura, get that milk off the bench!”

The woman seemed torn between Alex and her supervisor. “Yes! Coming!”

“The longer it sits there the sooner it’ll spoil! The separation of liquids – come on, this is science 101!”

She closed her eyes and shook her head. Her jaw muscles flexed over grinding teeth. A great deal of anger was boiling under that exterior. A very combative anger.

And then it clicked.

“Oh my god.” Alex’s brows shot skyward. She wasn’t sure whether to feel shock or outrage. “ _Astra?_ ”

Astra came to a stand still. Their eyes met again.

Alex paid no mind to the fact that she was holding up the line. Ex-terrorists took precedence over disgruntled consumers. Despite the switchblade in her jacket and the badge in her back pocket, she stared back, utterly speechless.

Before either could speak, Alex’s phone rang. It was work. Of course it’s work.

“Hey, what am I paying you for?”

Alex looked from Astra to her supervisor and back. The first word that popped into her head: _coward_. But who deserved the title? Alex backed slowly from the counter and exited the building at a near sprint before the answer occurred to her.

* * *

“Why the hell didn’t you tell me?”

“It didn’t really come to mind. Hey, speaking of coffee shops, you hungry? I feel like a snack.”

The DEO’s compound only had so many hiding places. And it wasn’t like the women’s bathroom was an option. Below ground, Supergirl was as handicapped as a bird with clipped wings.

Kara skittered around the seventh corner and down the hall. Her pursuer was fast on her heels.

“Don’t change the subject!” Alex called after.

She managed to cut Kara off. The defiant stance of crossed arms and feet shoulder width apart seemed to be Supergirl’s greatest foe yet. Kara fought the urge to cower behind her cape.

“I can’t believe you kept this from me,” said Alex. “I thought we weren’t keeping secrets from each other anymore. You could talk about Astra before. What’s changed?”

“I didn’t think you’d believe me. A Kryptonian serving artisanal lattes for pay… It sounds like the beginning of a joke, you know? And, honestly? I know you wouldn’t understand why she did it. You make that face – yeah, the one you’re wearing right now.”

Alex’s face scrunched further. “What face?”

“The face that tells me you’re disgusted or…” Kara’s eyes cast away as she prepared for counterattack, “… jealous.”

Alex’s jaw dropped. “Oh my god. _Seriously?_ I am _not_ jealous of Astra.”

“It makes sense. It’s been just you and I for a while. We’re sisters which means I know what you’re thinking. Since Aunt Astra’s release from the DEO I’ve been spending more time around her. Alex… it’s okay to be jealous.”

“I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.” The blunt delivery stunned Alex. “If you weren’t, I wouldn’t have to hear about how ‘incorrigible’ her actions are.”

The air quotes annoyed Alex almost as much as the sass. “She _is_ incorrigible. Her intentions may be sincere but her methods almost got me killed a few weeks ago. All she does is make bad situations worse!”

“This is what I’m talking about.” Kara closed her fists in the air and let out an exasperated huff. “Can you please stop judging her? She hasn’t done anything wrong – lately. She’s not even on the DEO’s radar and they have bigger fish to fry.”

“Exactly. Which is why we can’t have her pulling these exploits. She’s baiting me, Kara. She wants to get a rise out of me.”

“Well, it’s working.” Kara’s condescension had her folding her arms over her chest. She tilted her head, then, realization dawning. “She’s distracting you…” Kara narrowed her eyes. “I don’t know if you’re jealous of her or obsessed with her. It’s weird Alex and you need to figure this out.”

Alex gaped at the flourishing red cape. Somehow, the hurt didn’t measure up to what she experienced upon Astra fleeing that night. Kara walking away was supposed to gut her. They could usually talk out their issues or at least settle it over ice cream. Alex wasn’t willing to accept the twisted logic that an entirely separate event with different players instigated this tightness in her chest.

A tickle brought Alex to brush at the tear. The corner of her eye ran over with the big drop. It could have been anger, failure, guilt or any number of things that weighed on her conscience.

Swallowing hard, she rushed to grab Kara by the wrist. “Don’t dismiss me like that. I have a right to know.”

Kara stopped short and exhaled. The grip around her wrist eased. “I’m sorry. I forget sometimes that she’s your family too.”

“No, that’s not…“ Alex pressed her forehead in frustration. When she found the words, she raised her hands and expressed, “Not what I meant at all. You are my family. I love you and it’s my job to profile the people that get close to you.”

“Okay, but when you say it like that you sound like an FBI agent, not my sister. This is why I didn’t tell you. You overreact, and your suspicions kind of put a damper on things.”

“If by one of those things you mean your homicidal aunt from space prison then yes.”

“Alex, that’s not fair. Why are you so hard on Astra? She’s just trying to start over and make a home for herself. She’s lost everything.”

Alex raised a finger in rebuttal. “Don’t make comparisons. That is not the same. Not by a long shot.”

“It’s not easy to make a new life for yourself when people are constantly telling you it’s impossible. I should know.”

Alex’s lips thinned. She had the sense not to argue. It was so easy to think of Astra as the villain after all the grief she had caused them, especially her niece. Her very existence reminded Kara of her deceased mother and the conflict surrounding their relationship. Betrayal seemed as much a family trait as hope. It wasn’t easy to stray from the status quo. It took another planet and another family for Kara to believe in an alternative future, one that did not entail distrust.

Kara needed to believe in Astra. She was driven to hope for the impossible. Without that drive, she was no more Kara than she was Supergirl.

Guilt stricken, Alex offered her best puppy eyes (genuine puppy eyes, not the _can-I-have-that-last-slice-of-pizza_ puppy eyes). “Okay, maybe I’m a little jealous that you’re spending so much time around her. But that doesn’t mean my instincts are unreliable. Supergirl may be able to take the punches but it’s Kara I worry about. No offense, but when it comes to the people you care about your heart isn’t as indestructible.” With downturned eyes, Alex moved in on the hand that had stopped all manner of bullets, bombs, and blasts and gave it a tentative squeeze. “It’s become habit for me to protect that heart.”

Kara tilted her head to the rare sentimentality. “And I don’t want you to stop. I’m proud to have a sister that stands up for me by punching self-important CEOs.” Kara’s smile widened at the snort. “I’m not out to play favorites here, but I prefer Max to get a broken nose from my sister than a swift execution from my aunt. I’d want him to suffer.”

The corner of Alex’s mouth curled up. “Uh… thanks?

Kara turned and tugged Alex along. They resumed down the hall, but this time side-by-side and with their linked pinkies swinging between them like they were kids again.

“If you’re interested in second chances, or… well, if you _really_ want to investigate the source, her shift ends in an hour.”

Alex eyed her sister of ulterior motives. It didn’t take much effort because Kara was like an open book.

“I’ll keep J’onn busy. He won’t know you’re gone.”

Alex chewed the inside of her cheek in thought. That was all it took for Kara to read her.

“Go,” she said and encouraged Alex with a elbow nudge.

“Crap, Kara, that _hurt_.”

“Sorry! I don’t know my strength!”

“Bullshit,” Alex mumbled after the skipping, 27-year-old woman in a cape.

* * *

The way back into the city took up half her allotted time. Kara said she’d occupy J’onn for the next hour and if they succeeded, Alex would escape the wrath of their time sensitive boss.

Alex would go in, get answers, and return to headquarters without raising J’onn’s suspicions. No one would be the wiser. All she had to count on was an unreliable alien. The plan hinged on Astra getting to the damn point and not wasting time with that gaping goldfish act.

It also depended on Alex’s perseverance. She could not – repeat _could not_ – give in to how damn adorable the general looked in her getup. When she had seen that beanie and the glasses, a tempest of butterfly wings beat inside her. Frankly, she couldn’t do cartwheels in the gym nearly as well as her stomach could at the sight of the Kryptonian hipster.

Alex was every bit the soldier as she was a Type A personality. She would persevere.

Homicidal bitch, Alex repeated as she crossed the street.

Kitten posing criminal. Those sleepy-eyed, cheek caressing tricks didn’t work on operatives like Alex.

Incorrigible.

Robber of sister time.

Her boot heels struck the sidewalk with purpose, her nerve brimming with madness.

Kara stealer.

When she pulled open the door, the chime above alerted her just in time. She nearly rammed head first into a customer.

Astra gasped and presented her palms in apology. When she registered the woman in front of her, she froze, jaw slack for want of a response.

Cute, bespectacled goldfish…

Alex shook her head. “You.”

In an uncharacteristic manner much like the way she dressed, Astra fluttered her eyes at the disapproving syllable. She swallowed.

“We need to talk.” Alex’s eyes darted for the seating area. “In public.”

“Afraid to be alone with me, Agent Danvers?”

A bit of the general slipped through and released the tension in Alex’s shoulders. Strange, that she felt more threatened by the barista (code name “Laura”) than Astra of House In-Ze, Convict, and Traitor to Krypton.

Astra conceded rather quickly. She led them inside, skirting tables and cutting through the line of customers to reach the back of the establishment. One reclaimed oak wood table remained vacant and flush against the wall; two wrought iron chairs awaited on either side.

Alex and Astra settled into the ornate cushions, unwilling to break eye contact like two gunslingers waiting for the clock to strike noon. Alex cut to the chase.

“I want an explanation as to why someone like you is employed at an establishment of a race whom you claim to despise.”

Astra received it with an incline of her head. “This exchange is going in a very predictable direction.”

“I don’t have time for the run around.” Alex checked her watch with a sigh. “I have to be back at headquarters in half an hour or my boss is going to have my head.”

“Your head?” Scandal (and a hint of outrage?) lit Astra’s face. “What would he want with your head?”

“It’s a metaphor.” Alex’s eyes fell closed. She muttered into her hands, “I should have just ran with it. Maybe it’ll make this go faster.”

“Very well.” Astra laid her hands on the table, one atop the other. “In answer to your question: I am employed here for the same reasons you are employed at the DEO.”

“Nice try. What is this, some sort of rehabilitation program for alien ex-terrorists?”

“I require currency. The legally binding contract I signed indicated a monthly payment in exchange for lodging.”

Alex stared for a beat and then burst out laughing. “You’re doing this little performance to pay rent?”

This was just too good to be true. Whoever thought an alien would put rental obligation before prejudice? She slapped her thigh and bent over in a fit of laughter.

The spectacle held Astra’s piercing gaze. “Your amusement is repelling the customers. Please apply some dignity to your behavior.”

“Or what, General? You’ll kindly ask me to leave? You see these people?” Alex looked around and then back at Astra who was doing the same. “To them you are a naïve, wannabe hipster who is too old to know better. But they don’t know you like I do.”

“What is your point?”

“My point is conformity,” Alex upheld her momentum as the confidence melted from Astra’s face, “a delusion you now seem to cling to.”

Astra’s gaze left for the hand abrasion. Her own hand moved in. “Are you hurt?”

“It doesn’t hurt as bad as being dropped from midair.”

Alex didn’t regret the bite in her tone nor the way she tucked both hands under the table. Astra returned her own hand, the gesture, albeit more curious than caring, clearly unwelcome.

They both knew Astra wouldn’t believe it. She may have come from another planet, but she understood that mortal wounds brought pain. Astra wasn’t buying the tough act and when she had something in her head she couldn’t let it go. That’s how wars started.

They ended up staring each other down until someone had the courage to point it out – the elephant in the room. Astra saw the reaction, she knew the cause.

“You are afraid of me.”

“No,” Alex replied too quickly for it to hold water. She ground her teeth. “I don’t get you. You go from wanting to tear National City apart to becoming my friendly neighborhood barista. People don’t change that fast. How can you ask me to trust you?”

“I am not asking you to trust me. I have not earned that right.”

“Then what are you trying to prove?”

An advent of fire surfaced as slight twitches in Astra’s jaw muscles pulsed in time with Alex’s heartbeat. Astra leaned forward.

“Has anyone told you that this planet does not revolve around you?” Astra continued over the choking outrage. “I have not initiated communications with you since our last meeting –“

“The one where you nearly got me killed.”

“And, to be accurate, you were the one who came to me.”

“I didn’t even know you work here! Which is, incidentally, _two blocks from where I live_.”

The atmosphere changed immediately. The extent of Astra’s frown was indication enough. She gave Alex the impression that she was second guessing her entire decision making paradigm.

“I was not aware you live within the vicinity.”

“And if you did, would that have changed your mind?”

“I am not sure.” Astra’s expression twisted into genuine contemplation. “This is the first I’m hearing of it. I would have to think it over.”

“If you have to think about it then I already know your answer.” The legs of Alex’s chair squeaked against the floorboards. She couldn’t care if people were watching.

Kryptonian manners had Astra rising from her chair as well. Her eyes flicked from Alex to the empty chair to the untouched menu and back. “Where are you going?”

“None of your business.”

Astra hurried to cut her off. Alex froze and eyed the gesture like a caged animal.

“If I may…” Astra lowered her hand and tried to get Alex to look at her with a tilt of her head. “I think there has been a misunderstanding.”

“There you go again with your thinking. In no universe did _that_ get people hurt.” Alex paused in light of the responding wince. So caught up in a flurry of anger, she almost forgot she didn’t give a damn. “You know what? Go ahead and think, General. Just don’t do it around me.”

Alex shouldered past and cleared out the door. When she walked, she walked like someone was chasing her. When she breathed the fresh air, she breathed like she had been holding it in for ages.

No one followed Alex, but she held out hope for some unknowable reason. The longer she waited, though, the sooner she’d asphyxiate from holding her breath. Science 101.


	3. The One That Leaves the Crusts Behind

In hindsight, Alex knew she should have called first. Lately, Kara had a tendency to overlook non-Supergirl matters like their relationship, but maybe Alex was overacting. She never liked to be the clingy type.

When she arrived at Kara’s apartment, she motioned to put her key in the lock. A noise from the other side stopped her. It was laughter.

Somehow, this turn of events shouldn’t have been surprising. Something vaguely resembling respect had her knocking.

On the other side stood Astra. The straightened ends of her hair rustled in the gust of her grand opening. Her cheeks were flush from laughter and an obvious contentment brought out the green in her glistening eyes.

Alex was _heroically_ able to keep her mouth closed at the rest. Standing in fuzzy, baby blue socks, Astra was wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt that declared “I love pizza.” Whether a personal statement or a case of mistaken translation, it fit her frame perfectly – not too slim, not too baggy.

Alex gave her a pointed look that expressed volumes.

The smile died on Astra’s lips. She cleared her throat and returned to the living room. “Kara.”

Up came Kara, bounding like a gazelle on steroids, television remote in one hand and a spoon in the other. She removed said spoon from her mouth and broke out into a 1,000 watt smile.

“Alex! What are you doing here?”

“We were supposed to hang out tonight,” replied Alex. Kara’s vacant look didn’t change. “Movie marathon, work gossip, junk food, you stealing the brownie out of my ice cream… Ring any bells?”

A slap resounded. Kara removed her hand from her forehead to cry, “Oh, Alex, I _forgot_. I’m sorry!”

“I should go,” Astra said.

The faraway voice brightened Alex’s world tremendously. Not only that, but Astra started gathering her things without waiting for reply or permission. The black and white sneakers lay near Alex’s feet. She would have lent a hand, but then some miserable ambiance had to steal her attention.

Alex panned between Astra's and Kara’s war torn expressions. The bond between sisters could create many positive feelings, but right now all it did was ruin her plans like the breaking of her heart.

It pained Alex to see that forlorn pinching of brows and downcast stare. She watched as Kara pushed the glasses to the bridge of her nose as a means to conceal the disappointment in her eyes.

“No,” Alex’s voice stopped Astra in her tracks, “you’re here already and you look…” she looked Astra over from head to socks and bit her lip to keep from laughing, “…comfortable. Stay.”

Kara and Astra shared matching expressions of alarm. Alex was going to have to start calling them the goldfish family.

“Thank you,” said Astra, finally up for words. “Alexandra.”

“Oh, god, I liked Agent Danvers better.”

Kara did her neighbors a favor by steering Astra back to the couch before her sister could unholster her gun and blow holes in the wall.

Astra cast her a perturbed look, the ultimate question hanging on the tip of her tongue.

Kara cut her off with a pleading look. “Just… don’t.”

A stubborn fog worked its way over them. Alex never felt more like a wet blanket. Had she really been foolish in coming over? Was it too much to ask to just hang out with Kara? The awkward decision of who sat where answered that. Apparently, she was destined to make nice with the homicidal aunt from space.

Astra must have caught on to the animosity because she had the sense to sit on the other sofa. She stayed there for the rest of the evening, feet tucked under her and hardly uttering a peep. She could have went unnoticed were it not for the incessant feet fondling (she was positively absorbed by those baby blue fuzzy socks).

All in all, she appeared to be making nice just as Alex. The times she did speak up were in response to inappropriate love triangles. She clearly disapproved of Kara’s flippancy in the work place and Alex had to agree. Their united front didn’t cause much unrest. They had worked together before in destroying the Black Mercy. It wasn’t like Alex couldn’t be a team player, especially when it came to Kara’s safety.

From then on it became easier for Alex to sit back most of the night. She remained a reserved spectator, watching the exchanges between Kara and her growingly animated aunt. At one point, Astra knocked over a lamp in her exuberance. The story she was telling of the “Little One’s preoccupation with oversized stuffed animals” had Alex in stiches and Kara deep in the palms of her hands.

The relative normality surrounding them went unnoticed by everyone except Alex. She didn’t exactly buy the act, but she wasn’t willing to call Astra out this time. Instead, she reserved judgment and trusted that Kara knew who she opened her heart to.

As the night wore on and all the ice cream digested, tolerating the general did not amount to the torture expected. That shocked Alex more than the fuzzy socks ever could.

* * *

When it came to Fridays, the first thing Alex did after a long work day was open up a bottle of wine. After standing at the kitchen bar, draining her first glass, she’d hit the shower and then pull on her comfiest outfit.

On one particular Friday night, Alex only got as far as a hot shower. At the sound of a ring, she cut out of her bathroom and snagged up her cell phone. The ends of her hair were dripping onto her bare shoulder while she hiked the towel around her body.

“Kara? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s great. Hey, you busy?”

“Uhm,” Alex eyed the DVR, feeling the pressure to catch up on a season’s worth of television, “depends on how you define busy.”

“Well, if you’re looking for something to do, you can always come clubbing with me.”

Alex frowned. “Kara, are you feeling okay? Did you come in contact with any weird substances?”

“Why?”

“Because the last time you went to a club you were high on red kryptonite.”

“I promise you, I’m not high on anything. I just want to show Astra a good time.”

Hand to face, Alex covered her mortification. “ _No_.”

“Yes.”

“Aw, come on, Kara! She knows nothing about being out in public. She’s more likely to misinterpret some dance move for dishonor on her house!”

“Which is why I want you to come along. You were so great with me when I turned 21 and knew nothing about dancing.”

“Yeah, because _that_ was so much fun.”

“Don’t mock me. I’m serious. This will be like Aunt Astra’s coming out party. Or… whatever. You know what I mean.”

“I’m sensing an ulterior motive here. Spill.”

The line went silent. Alex had to check her phone display to make sure Kara was still there.

When Kara finally replied, she spoke in a slow, purposeful manner. “I think it would be good for the two of you to spend time together.”

Alex patted around for the bed or any forgiving surface. She had to sit down for this one. “Why on earth would that be a good thing?” She leaned on the heel of her hand, rolling her eyes. “I want to asphyxiate her half the time.”

“You know she’s super strong.”

“Yeah, I want to get a rise out of her. I wrap my hands around her neck, she punches me, that’s assault of a federal officer, and it’s off to prison with her.”

Kara wasn’t buying it. “You’re joking.”

“Maybe.”

“When did you get so hostile?”

“When a certain visitor came to town. I’ll give you a hint: she’s the one that leaves the crusts behind and wears a shirt that says ‘I love pizza.’ By the way,” Alex added with a note of irritation, “who admittedly _loves_ pizza but doesn’t eat the crust?”

Kara sighed. “I’m not going to force you, but this passive aggressiveness needs to stop. I love you guys and I just want us to be able to spend time together without having to separate you two.”

“There’s a lot of bad blood between Astra and I. History that I can’t forgive as easily as you can. “

“ _Please_ , Alex. Try for me? I know going out dancing won’t fix everything but it’s a start? I just want to give her the experience.”

The fragile voice pawed at Alex’s heart like a stray puppy. Talk about the oldest trick in the book. And she was falling for it, god damn it.

Alex propped her elbow on the bed and held up her head. She blinked slowly, the wine slipping through her veins like syrup. If she was going through with this, she would need more than a buzz.

“I hardly think clubbing is high on the bucket list of Earthly experiences. You guys can’t even get drunk. What’s the point?”

“Wow, Astra was right.”

“What?” That straightened Alex’s spine. A low growl stirred in her chest. “What did she say?”

Kara cleared her throat of a squeak. “Just that you don’t fit the mold of a night reveling human. Her words, not mine. Granted, she doesn’t seem thrilled about coming either. In fact, I’m looking at her right now and she looks pretty miserable about it. I think she’s embarrassed to be seen at a club with me.”

Alex snorted. “She’s your 100-something-year-old aunt. Can you blame her?”

“It would be nice to have a buffer or at least someone to make her feel less old.” Kara’s voice dropped to a frantic whisper. “Oh my god, I think she heard me!”

On the other end, Alex could hear high-pitched, indignant remarks and a threat of disownment. Alex chuckled. “We are _all_ going to regret this, you know that, right?”

“Does that mean you’ll come?”

“I’ll tag along, but don’t even _think_ about giving me a lift after. I’m calling Uber.”

“Oh!” Kara’s gasp harkened back to those light bulb moments whenever she understood a joke or a metaphor or _any_ human concept. “Because you’ll be drinking alcohol and will need a ride home!”

Alex just knew Kara’s face was about to crack from the huge, self-congratulatory grin. “When was the last time you went out? I mean after the red kryptonite incident.”

“I could ask the same of you.”

“Fair enough,” Alex grunted and hung up.

The towel around her chest tightened by the second. She blew out a breath and trudged across her bedroom. Her bath towel ended up on the floor as she reached towards the back of the closet where the slim jeans and loose, civilian tops collected dust.


	4. You're Halfway There

Because of the nightclub’s location in downtown National City, it benefited their cover to proceed with a bit of discretion. Alex instructed her Kryptonian companions to meet her on a deserted street several blocks away.

While waiting for them to drift in, Alex thought back to the night they all hung out at Kara’s. It had been an evening of shattered expectations and grueling self-doubts. Alex didn’t like having to reevaluate her impressions of people because that meant she had failed and the only thing she hated more than failure was admitting it.

Like most people, she liked to think her judgements were not based on favoritism or personal vendettas, but when it came to her little sister, partiality went out the window. It had become so easy to sit in judgment of Astra it felt like a pastime. The problem, Alex realized that night, came when habit fell out of step with change.

The factors were changing. People were forming relationships – mending them and trying to build bridges when all Alex did was come to the party with a pocketful of matches. Kara had half a mind to push her sister and aunt together in creating some kind of alliance. Or in Alex’s words, creating the “implausible from the extra-implausible.”

Alex had been on her best behavior that night. She stayed in the background, observing their interactions and learning from forgiveness. Maybe she was starting to give Kara the benefit of the doubt.

Not a minute past the agreed upon time, Kara and Astra touched down in the alley and met Alex in the light of the street lamps.

Astra definitely looked like Kara dressed her because they wore the same exact style of cardigan. It was the very definition of “office clothing.” Alex was on the verge of asking Kara what in god’s or any sun deity’s name was wrong with her, until she looked at their hip, metallic black jeans and fell silent.

Alex was reasonably satisfied by the ensemble but that didn’t take away from Astra’s deer in headlights expression. If Alex had superhearing, she’d bet the Kryptonian’s heart was beating as fast as a quark in a particle accelerator.

Astra didn’t talk much on the way. She seemed to shrink in on herself, arms tucked to her sides as if the slightest touch might prompt nuclear combustion. Were it not for Kryptonian blood, the shyness proved her to be more alien from her usual demeanor.

When they arrived, Kara sped forward to lead the way.

Alex hung back with Astra. “Some social butterfly you are,” she muttered.

Astra looked over at her and then ahead. “This was not my idea.”

“I wouldn’t have guessed.”

At the entrance, an employee used a stamp to admit the club goers. When it was Astra’s turn, she inched out her hand. From behind, Alex could see the tensing shoulders. Astra cleared her throat as if she were about to say something. The man stamped her before she could argue.

Astra inspected the back of her hand with a squint. “What is this substance?”

“The ink contains pigments that react to ultraviolet light,” Alex replied. “You’ll notice the difference when we get inside.”

They filed one-by-one through the door, Kara first, then Astra, and Alex bringing up the rear. When their eyes adjusted to the subdued light, they took in their surroundings like wide-eyed out-of-towners.

It was a change from the chilly, quiet streets. The walls and floor were pulsating to the _thump-thump-thump_ of music. A kaleidoscope of colors beamed around them and moved in synch to the song. A commotion of dancers filled the place and seemed to exist as one giant wave of motion. It was loud, crowded, hot, and near anarchy.

Kara’s face froze in awe.

Astra frowned with mixed emotions.

Alex took it as liberation.

The dousing of strange light had Astra recalling Alex’s tip. She looked down to her hand. The image glowed magenta under the black lights.

“Florescence,” Astra identified. She moved her hand out, rotating at the wrist to catch the UV waves. “Krypton has a similar catalyst found in our rainforests. This synthetic version is quite crafty.”

Alex snorted.

“You are not impressed?”

The indignant tone caused Alex to reconsider. “Yes, I guess I am. I just never thought about it that way. Earth has bioluminescent creatures and fluorescent coral and minerals. For us to use it as an admission stamp, I guess, is… crafty.”

Alex associated the return nod with validation, though she couldn’t figure out why Astra cared for her opinion in the first place.

Kara wasted no time in dragging them both to the dance floor. Whether she had their consent or not, she took them straight to pandemonium’s epicenter; there, it was loudest and most rowdy.

Limbs and bodies drifting back and forth and side to side, stirring like florae in the sea. It was hard to tell where one person began and the other ended. Couples danced so close to each other they were practically grinding – which they were, Alex noted with a grimace.

Alex danced with caution. She trusted her sober self not to bump into anyone and have to turn down a sleazy request. Frankly, she had no problem asserting herself, but with her impressionable sister around she’d rather not get busted for assaulting a Max Lord look-a-like. Alex took her big sister duties seriously.

It didn’t take long for Kara to get into her groove. The thing about Kara was her ability to exude her bubbly self not just through her personality but through her body as well. Her hips swung with knees bent and arms loose. Her head tucked down, chin to chest, and then flew back with eyes serenely closed. The whole time she had a smile plastered to her face. She was in her own little world – no lunch runs or appointments, no screams for help and no crashing buildings and screech of metal. For this moment in time, Kara could just be a 27-year-old woman dancing. And she enjoyed it without regard for how long it would last.

Alex slowed her movements. One of the greatest enjoyments she gained from life was watching her sister smile. It filled her heart to the brim knowing that she was responsible for it. There was no way in hell Kara would have scrounged up the courage to come here without her. It was heartwarming confirmation to Alex that she was still needed by her little sister, even as an adult. She still mattered to someone she loved.

Alex wasn’t alone. Out of the corner of her eye, Astra shared the same feeling. Like Alex, she witnessed the twirling made possible by burdenless shoulders. Like Alex, she gladdened at the happiness illuminating Kara like a beacon. They both tagged along for Kara. They devoted their lives to this big heart even if she danced with two left feet.

“Alex! Come on!”

Kara took her hands and pulled her in. Alex let out a squeal as the momentum had them spinning in place. They laughed in an uncaring, freeing manner. No matter how uncoordinated their feet were or how their hair flew in their faces and the lights blinded them, they kept turning. Kara was so thrilled she didn’t care if she levitated them off the ground.

Alex felt like she was thirteen again.

Kara never felt safer in human hands.

Astra hung back, watching.

After a few songs, the sweat started to pour from Alex’s brow and her legs were catching hell in an effort to keep up with Kara. Alex couldn’t remember the last time she spent a night out like this. She was seriously out of breath and more wiped out than after her morning 5ks.

At that moment her knee decided to stiffen and give a shameful pop. All of a sudden she felt her impending 30s creeping up on her.

“Ah, crap.” She waved her hand in front of Kara to get her attention. “Hey! I’m going to get a drink! You want a soda or something?”

Kara shook her head. “What?!”

Alex pointed towards the bar.

“Oh! No, thanks. You go on ahead. I’m going to show Astra some moves!”

“Yeah, alright.” Alex panned over to Astra who looked about as thrilled as a bodyguard at a four-year-old’s birthday party. “Well, don’t hurt anyone.”

“We will!” Kara obviously taking it as a bid to have fun and _not_ to harm the masses.

When Alex arrived at the bar she found a vacant stool and dropped onto it with a heavy exhale. She ordered a beer and all but sagged on the bar.

Chin in hand, Alex minded her own business between sips. The beer tasted cool and crisp on her tongue. Halfway finished with her first drink, she swiveled on her chair and spied a glance at the dance floor.

Alex chuckled at what she saw. Kara had taken Astra by the hands as she had done with Alex and was swinging them around. When Kara let go, she demonstrated some moves that were entirely of her own making. Astra stood motionless for a while, still having a hard time adapting to the high frequency sounds and lights.

It reminded her of Kara’s first year on Earth. Alex put her through a rigorous training of rules complete with what to dos and what not to dos. At first it was done to avoid embarrassment for her own part. Having a sister that screamed bloody murder against the voices in her head tended to direct a lot of undue attention at Alex as much as Kara. But then her father impressed upon her the dangers of exposure and she changed her ways.

Step one in human assimilation: don’t look like such an alien. Of course Kara’s answer was to act like a dork and apparently Astra’s strategy was to look like an indignant goddess.

Hilarious didn’t begin to describe the view. Kara tried tirelessly but Astra’s limbs were just not cooperating. The general couldn’t seem to grasp the fluidity of dancing. And it was safe to say that Astra _I’m-too-good-for-this_ In-Ze didn’t take to it with an ounce of fun.

“Hey,” called someone to her right.

Alex turned to see a woman slide over and lean casually on the bar. She gave Alex a once over that could have passed for predatory were it not for the discreet smile.

She gestured to the bottle in Alex’s grip. “Can I buy you the next one?”

Alex’s sigh gave out more tension than expected. The woman was attractive and she smelled nice. She even looked age appropriate despite the college scene. Alex ticked off the boxes in her head: female, athletic, nonsmoker, human.

Human. Boy was that hard to come by these days. Alex’s daily life usually entailed the company of the super-extraordinary, criminal, sexually frustrating, married…

Alex shut down the thought before it got out of hand. As if it hadn’t already.

“I’d be flattered any other night,” Alex answered, “but this isn’t a good time. I’m chaperone tonight.”

“I’ve never met a drinking chaperone.”

“It’s complicated.”

“You here with anyone?”

Alex knew what she meant by _anyone_. “My sister and a friend.”

The woman followed her gaze through the mosh pit of dancers. “Cute.”

Alex didn’t ask which one. Her admirer had already disappeared, clearly threatened by the competition. Two beers in and a nice flush to her skin, Alex had the brass to smirk.

Any other night indeed. The DEO had her tied up with assignments for months now. Oddly, when there was no immediate threat to Earth, Alex’s plate just pilled higher with work. If she had the opportunity (i.e. drunker and not accompanied by her sister), she would have pounced on the eye-catching offer. And Alex wasn’t the pouncing type.

Alex turned back to the drama unfolding. Astra was getting frustrated with Kara’s directions. She even went as far as stomping her heel which Kara took as a dance attempt.

“Unbelievable,” Alex mumbled with a snort. She tucked her leg underneath her and leaned back on the bar with her elbows. She divided her time between watching the dancers and tipping the beer bottle to her lips. But as hard as she fought it, the two girls on the floor never failed to draw her eye.

Kara stopped over with a sweaty brow and waving her phone in the air. “I have to take this. Work called and it’s important.”

“At this time of night?” Alex’s appall soon faded upon realization. “Never mind. I forgot you work for Hades.”

Kara met it with a sulking huff. “Be nice. Can you watch Astra for a while?”

“Do I have a choice?”

Kara grinned and gave her sister’s arm a squeeze. “Nope!”

Alex shook her head with a smile and drank from her beer. She turned back to Astra who was catching on with a twist of her shoulders. Her reasonably normal moves didn’t draw so much attention now. With a heavy furrow of her brow, she went about scrutinizing the dancers around her – with a scientific eye, of course, not a lustful one – and simulating the movements.

Alex chuckled. She took another swig of her drink, accounting the warmth in her chest with the alcohol.

Astra had since stopped her turning and was now twisting her head to and fro. Alex followed her gaze to the restroom and subsequently groaned.

“Great.”

Astra stepped around a couple and held her hands above her head to prevent from touching any inappropriate places. And there was a lot of bare skin out there.

Alex watched from her stool. “Don’t do it… don’t do it,” she muttered, voice steadily rising, “don’t – she’s doing it.”

Sure enough, Astra headed in the direction of the glassy eyed, sniffling orgy.

Alex’s shoulders sank. She put down her beer and left her stool to follow.

About three feet from the women’s restroom door, Alex hooked a hand around Astra’s arm. “Not so fast.”

In hindsight, it was probably not wise to catch a former general unawares. Especially when the lights were convulsing and the music deafening.

An obscure object dug into Alex’s back as she found herself pinned to the wall. “Hey, relax. It’s me.”

Astra dropped her guard immediately. “Forgive me. I did not know.”

“Don’t worry about it.” A throb crawled up her arm and Alex fought against the urge to roll her shoulder. “I should have thought twice before creeping up on you.”

“Is everything alright? I was just about to use the lavatory.”

After concluding that her shoulder was not, in fact, dislocated, she gave Astra her full, undivided attention. “Not here you're not.”

Just as the words were falling from Alex’s mouth, two girls stumbled out. They were arm-in-arm, giggling from head to toe, and brushing their noses. Their eyes were fiercely bloodshot.

Alex pulled Astra back to give the girls a wide berth. Whatever they just snorted up their noses had them navigating the area like uncoordinated collegiates.

Astra gave them a once over as they passed and she responded with a revolting look. “I see. Thank you for sparing me of that, Alexandra.”

Staring after the pair, she didn’t notice how her hand slid down Astra’s arm to take her fingers. “Anytime.”

While there was little research to suggest Kryptonians were affected by illicit substances, Alex wasn’t about to experiment any time soon. In fact, growing up with Kara made Alex one of the foremost experts on Kryptonians, and yet she didn’t have a clue how their neurological and motor functions responded to cocaine. The scientist in Alex peaked to the curiosity.

“Where is our little one?”

That startled Alex out of her gaze. Astra had never referred to Kara as theirs – family, yes, but to share a very personal pet name with Alex? Astra rarely displayed affection for anything or anyone. Not even with Non (when he lived). The only person who could bring the soft side out of her was Kara. There were very few instances of Astra being affectionate but calling Kara “little one” was Alex’s favorite. The gesture warmed her heart.

The start of a new song, just as rumbling and obnoxious as the pervious, snapped Alex out of it. “Yeah, um, she’s taking a call outside. We should probably meet up with her.”

“Yes, I must use the facilities. Preferably at an uncontaminated location.”

“Right.”

Hand in hand, Alex led her through the crowd.

When they reached Kara she was stuffing her phone back in her pocket.

“Trouble?” asked Alex.

“No, just last minute revisions to a story. The usual.”

“Cat asks your opinion?”

“Of course.”

“Since when?”

“Since I got promoted. Don’t make me explain myself, Alex. You already know all this.”

An aura of guardian duty surrounded Astra. She pinned Kara with a _look_. “Must I speak with this woman about section 207 of the Fair Labor Standards Act?”

Alex’s eyebrows skyrocketed. “Have you been studying U.S. Labor Laws?”

The stern gaze didn’t stray from Kara’s shrinking presence. “Full-time employment with humans has given me perspective.”

And apparently free time, considering her plans for world domination were at an end. Alex wouldn’t have pegged Astra for a labor rights advocate, but there were worse ways to spend one’s time. Proven fact.

“Aunt Astra, how many times do we have to talk about this? I understood the demands of the job when I accepted. You don’t have to cite chapter and verse!”

“I can and I shall if you persist blindly to your rights. If what you say is true regarding your feelings for her– or she you – than – “

“Oh, _Rao_ , la-la-la!” sang out Kara, hands clapped over her ears.

Alex put her hands on her hips and pursed her lips around the smirk. “She has a point. Whatever relationship you have with Cat could create problems if you don’t have clear boundaries.”

Kara dropped her hands and let them slap against her thighs. “It figures that when you guys finally team up it’s against _me_.”

“We care about you.” Little one, Alex thought fondly.

Astra threw her shoulders back in agreement. “And are sworn to protect you against those that bring mischief. That includes shrewd industrialists such as Catherine Grant.”

“Oh, Rao, don’t call her an industrialist. She hates that.”

“I would like to hear her say that to this face of mine.”

Kara didn’t miss the snort, no matter how quick Alex tried to stifle it. “Real mature, Alex.”

The tears were flowing freely now amid Alex’s snickering. “Damn, I wish I had that on tape.”

“Right, moving on…” Kara rolled her eyes. “You guys plan to head out? I don’t want to quit early unless you want to.”

The pressure against Alex’s shoulder came and went. She spared a glance beside her to the swaying figure. “I’m getting kind of tired.”

“Whatever you decide, Kara, is fine.”

“That’s great because I’m hungry and my fridge only has beverages.” Kara pressed her hands together and rose to the balls of her feet.

Alex chuckled at the fluttering eyelashes. “How did I not see this coming?”

“You so did. You just don’t want to admit to knowing me so well.”

“I know more than I should, that’s the problem.”

Their sister-speak caused Astra to pan between them. “What is this regarding? Kara?” she called out after her skipping niece.

Alex cocked her head at Astra, the alcohol probably exaggerating the eye roll. “You’re about to find out.”

A pout crinkled Astra’s brow line.

Alex couldn’t help it. Baiting Astra was becoming exceedingly entertaining.

* * *

The diner had been a Danvers sisters stomping ground for years. When groceries were low and neither of them felt like going out to shop, this was their saving grace.

The diner was a haven from commercial chains and the overpriced burgers and sushi they tended to live on. It served breakfast daily and was open round the clock. With the most important meal of the day available to a limitless appetite, no other place on Earth could make Kara happier.

Because the diner was a staple favorite of Alex’s and Kara’s, it had to pass muster by the other member of their weird family circle. Thankfully, it held up to Astra’s scrutiny, which was satisfied by the peace it radiated. The diner’s music consisted of oldies tunes, the lights dimmed to a comfortable setting, the customers sparse, and the smells of a kind one would expect from a greasy spoon like this one. After the sweaty human pit of claustrophobia they just came from, this place was like the promised land.

They took an open booth by the window, Alex across from Kara. Astra slid in wordlessly next to her. 

Absently thumbing her menu, Alex snuck a cursory glance. Astra was already ruminating over the selections and not paying any mind to the sudden restlessness of her seatmate.

A woman in leggings and a polka dotted shirt stopped by. “Hello there, darlings,” she greeted. Her apple red cheeks brightened around the smile. She propped her notepad on her happily round middle. “My name is Judy and this…” she patted her stomach, “is Abigail.” I’ll be your waitress.”

Kara nearly squealed. “Aw, congratulations!”

“Well, aren’t you sweet as pumpkin pie! It’s not every night I get customers in such fine spirits. I tell ya, sometimes I wish Supergirl would come through those doors.”

Like an overexcited toddler, Kara’s breath quickened and her eyes lit up. “Oh, I’m sure she’d love this place. It always smells so _good_. Like… French fries and maple syrup.”

“Wouldn’t that be somthin’? Supergirl eatin’ French fries right here! I’d track her down and ask her to stop in, but I don’t think she’d appreciate the extended bathroom breaks. I tell ya, sweetie, I gotta go _every_ _five minutes_.”

Kara couldn’t hide the grin. “I bet Supergirl loves children.”

“I’m not sure she’d like mine. Or maybe she would. This one doesn’t stop kickin’ like a goll-darned Jackie Chan!”

“Hey, more like Jacqueline Chan, right?”

That got Judy roaring.

Listening with half an ear, Alex was grabbed by the scene next to her. Astra had her chin tucked in as she preoccupied herself with straightening her place setting. Needless, to the say the least, because it looked nearly symmetrical.

Once Kara and the waitress wrapped up their little gab fest, Judy asked for their orders.

“What’ll it be, darlings?”

Kara straightened. “I’ll do the royal club with extra tomato, two eggs scrambled, an order of French fries, and…” she tucked her head in like a bashful turtle, “… a side of maple syrup, please?”

“Someone who’s not afraid to eat.” Judy shook her head as she scribbled. A tear was rolling down her cheek. “A girl after my own heart. And how about the pretty lady to my right?”

Astra cocked her head to read straight from the menu. “May I have the…” her eyes flit up like she was self-conscious of her English translation, “… waffle? No additions, please.”

“With manners like that, of course you can.”

When it was Alex’s turn she beat Judy to the punch. “Just a regular coffee for me.” She returned the menu to its holder before hesitating. “Please.”

“All righty then. I’ll get your orders in!”

Judy ambled off. When she was out of ear shot, Astra leaned over the table to whisper, “Kara, what is a waffle?”

Kara leaned over and dropped her voice as well. “Why are you whispering?”

“I do not want to offend our waitress.” Her voice lowered with her persistence. “What is a waffle, Kara?”

Kara was already nodding vigorously. “You chose well. Trust me.”

Alex just had to ask. “You don’t know what it is and yet you ordered it?”

“The menu had a picture. Its geometry looked intriguing.”

Alex’s eyes rolled up and over as her face ended in the palm of her hand.

“Aunt Astra, I mean this with all due respect: you are really weird. From one alien to another, you need to get out more.”

Not getting anywhere with her niece, Astra turned to Alex who said, “I’ve had their waffle and I’ve never died of food poisoning if that’s what you’re asking.”

“I am not susceptible to edible poisons, but thank you for your honesty.”

In no time at all, Judy returned with Alex’s coffee and several steaming plates of food. Kara rubbed her hands and dove in while Astra took a more reserved approach. When she had a strategy in mind, she took a fork to the nearest, crispy corner. What followed became a meticulous course of nibbling and prim smacking of lips.

When Alex couldn’t take it anymore she let out a rush of air. “Okay,” she laid her hands out on the table, “how come you’re not ravenous? Kara’s like a dinosaur when she doesn’t have her ten square meals a day. What is that?”

Astra looked from Alex to Kara and froze mid-bite. Apparently, this was a big deal.

She replied, “I, occasionally, have a similar appetite. I just choose to uphold a sense of discretion.”

Inch-by-inch, Alex’s head turned towards Kara. She stretched out the moment as long as possible before concluding with a pithy, “Ouch.”

The accusation made Kara blush. She swat Alex’s shoulder in retaliation. “Stop.”

“You could learn from your aunt and quit moaning about food every five seconds. It would be a favor to my sanity.”

Astra placed her fork down and patted her lips with a napkin. “While I do not consider myself a model citizen,” her head inclined toward Kara, “It would make me proud to exceed your expectations,” she paused to catch Alex’s eye, “both of you.”

Now Alex was rendered frozen. Part of Alex wanted to grab Astra’s hand in assurance and the other part wanted to punch her for being such a sentimental fool.

An atmosphere resembling peace had fallen. It never felt so good to Kara, who was taking Astra’s admission (as well as Alex’s dumbstruck expression) to heart. She looked between them, raised her brow, and mumbled, “You’re halfway there.”

It was that easy. Being a family, making nice… that light feeling of content in one’s chest.

In the meantime, Alex felt pressed to shrug off the warm, fuzzy feeling. Astra’s brand of attention, so decisive and focused, had Alex’s breath catching. Her brow was even perspiring, and not due to her scalding beverage.

She had since cleared her throat and scooted closer to the window to catch a cool draft. After taking a gulp from her coffee, she returned to the subject of the Kryptonian diet. The diversion was a success. Astra answered Alex’s questions between bites and hums over her disappearing waffle. They theorized factors of age and time spent on Earth, frequency of exercise, and sleep cycle. The conversation dragged on as they seemingly forgot how they were once at each others’ throats – literally. Alex couldn’t help her scientific curiosity.

While Astra gladly indulged the questions, Kara feigned boredom. Not much could deter her from a royal club sandwich, but this spectacle took the cake. It was really something to see the two of them put their heads together. She could only imagine what they would be like on a mission. They had the brains and the muscle to squash the opposition. That was, if they didn’t look so into each other – and completely oblivious to it.

Kara stared at them like at any second they would start making out over their mutual views on alien metabolism. She wouldn’t put it past their normally discreet natures. To be honest, they were so deep in the throes of scientific postulation that they were unaware of the other customers. And based on the flushed skin, Alex was either sloshed or smitten.

Maybe Astra didn’t have to work so hard at winning Alex’s approval after all.


	5. Shorty Get Low

Amid the chattering customers and usual cacophony of coffee shop living, a name was shouted out. Alex perked to the call. It was a man’s voice. Always the same guy on Tuesday mornings. She listened out of habit as if she would hear differently.

The barista called out again for the customer to come get their drink, but Alex had already gotten her order: black coffee, no cream, one sugar. That was an hour ago. She was now on her second.

Alex sat with her back to the coffee bar and her hands around the ceramic mug. She sipped from time to time, extending her gratification just short of letting it get cold. On her phone, news reports scrolled by in real-time as if she preferred it that way. She couldn’t care less.

Ulterior motives were not Alex’s forte. Granted, the job had turned her into a crafty interrogator; someone who could weasel intel from the slimiest of bastards (not that she had anyone in mind). Off DEO grounds, she had to walk, talk, and dress as an FBI agent. The tools were at her disposal and she used them expertly in her line of work.

But when it came to her personal life, Alex couldn’t be deceptive enough. She wouldn’t know an ulterior motive if it sat at the same oak table she had occupied last time, flush against the back wall, wrought iron chair, and ornate seat cushion. Incidentally, a place where Alex chose to sit that morning.

Whether conscious of it or not, Alex wanted to be noticed. And she would learn soon enough that positioning herself in that particular seat would gain the attention of one barista.

At precisely eleven o’clock, a shadow fell over Alex. She looked up from the dull tweets to something way more eye-catching.

They stared for a moment, waiting for the other to speak. Alex may not be great with ulterior motives, but she would be damned if she broke first.

May I sit?”

While Astra may have had the courage to go first, she was not so bold in holding eye contact. She tore her gaze from Alex and looked at the vacant chair, the coffee mug, the table and its dark whorls. At the last second, her eyes made contact. For Astra, asking seemed as difficult as putting down a rebellion.

“Yeah. Sure.”

Astra pulled the chair out and sat down. She scanned the other tables behind her thick framed glasses. The pressure of fitting in weighed heavy on her shoulders. It was a weight that she was probably living with for the past several weeks and counting.

It still rattled Alex to see her like this. The glasses and beanie, the oversized wool sweater… What a far cry from General In-Ze. It must have taken every ounce of strength to subdue her imperious nature.

“You, um ...” Alex reached out for the strand of silver that had slipped from her cap. When Astra turned, Alex’s hand stuttered. “Y-you missed a… your…”

“Oh,” gasped Astra, and adjusted her beanie, “thank you.”

Massaging her forehead, Alex rolled her eyes at herself.

“My shift has ended,” Astra explained. “I normally return to my residence and have lunch before coming back for the afternoon.”

“Is your place far?”

She shook her head, loosening up a bit and forgetting about the bustling around them. “I live roughly two miles away. The walk is refreshing but I would prefer another mode of transportation.”

Alex cracked a smile and chuckled despite herself. The smile she received warmed her cheeks pink. Out of the corner of her eye, Alex saw the young couple sitting a table over. The girl smiled in her direction and gave a thumb’s up.

The heat that had blossomed in Alex’s face intensified by a thousand. She pretended not to know what _that_ was all about by rotating her chair two centimeters closer to the wall. She turned to her coffee mug and a frown reflected back in its crystal black contents.

“Is everything alright?”

“Yes,” Alex replied in a rush as the alarm bells went off in her head. She straightened. “Why?”

“Do you not have to be at the DEO?”

“Not right now.”

Astra’s expression changed. “Very well.”

Alex couldn’t tell if she was disappointed or frustrated. Astra herself seemed awfully unsure what to be feeling.

“I came to see how you were,” Alex explained.

“You are checking up on me.”

“It’s not what you think. I’ve noticed that you’ve kept your distance from the DEO.” She paused, carefully considering her next words. “I’m just wondering if this is a conscious effort.”

“You’re asking me if I’m avoiding you.”

“I did ask you to stay away from me.”

“And yet here marks the second time this week you have sat at this table, where I can very well see you.” Astra’s gaze grew more intense, not angry, not disappointed, just… intense. Knowing.

A quell settled over them; a pressure markedly separate from the orders shouted over them, the noise of clattering mugs and rushed steam. “Are you waiting for me, Alex?”

Alex cradled her hot cheek in her hand and diverted her eyes. “I guess I haven’t been taking my own advice.”

Astra leaned back in her chair and looked elsewhere. Alex was grateful that she let it go. She was even more grateful that she gave her the privacy to recover.

Cracking a smile, Alex decided to lighten things up. “I thought all this time you would be working on your saving technique.” At Astra’s frown, she explained. “Your heroics at the junkyard did not leave a good impression, if I remember correctly.”

It was Astra’s time to blush. “It is difficult to perfect such a skill in a place like this.”

“Yeah, well, with the number of dishes you’ve broken I’d say you need to work on your reflexes.”

“That’s awfully cavalier of you, considering your decorum the other night. You were singing very loudly about a lemon drink. Some form of dance was involved as well as bad language if Kara’s giggling was anything to go by.”

“Cut me some slack. I was not exactly sober at the time.”

Astra broke eye contact. She brought her hand to the back of her neck, tilted her head slightly, and said, “I have never seen you behave in such a manner.”

“Why are you smiling?” And Alex was damned if she wasn’t smiling too. “Oh my god, I can’t believe you’re _enjoying_ this. You, of all people, pointing a finger at _my_ embarrassments.”

Her smile held like a flirtatious gesture set in ink. The shaded whorls in the table caught Astra’s attention. She followed her finger’s turns as she traced the outlines. “I find it… interesting… the affect alcohol has on you.”

Alex fought the impulse to slap her forehead. Mortification didn’t even begin to describe it. What the hell was wrong with her? What the hell was wrong with _Astra_ and those bashful eyes and the throaty sound of a word that nearly had Alex begging for her to repeat it?

“Alright.” Alex settled it by slicing her hand through the air. “You’ve seen me drunk. Are you happy now? Cross that one off the bucket list.”

“I have a question.” Alex waved a hand to proceed, so Astra did. “When we were dancing, Kara told you to... ‘Shorty get low.’ I am unsure of the meaning.”

“I’m too mortified to answer.”

“Is there a significance?”

“God, no.”

“A metaphor?”

“Christ, Astra.”

“Very well,” Astra said for the second time that day and twisting her mouth in frustration.

Sighing, Alex drummed the table with her fingers. “Did you have fun, at least? And this is before I made a drunk ass fool of myself.”

“It was good to see Kara let go. She looked very happy.”

“She did,” Alex agreed with a grin. “But that doesn’t really answer my question.”

Astra looked about to add something but then censored herself. Her eyes squinted as she tried to grasp the words. “I do wonder how women are able to walk in those clothes.”

“Or lack of clothes? Yeah, I saw some short skirts. Um, not that I was paying much attention. It was kind of dark in there anyway.”

“The promiscuity there was… not like what I have seen on Krypton. You humans leave nothing to the imagination.”

To anyone watching, the snooty attitude clashed with her hipster ensemble, but to Alex it just multiplied the butterflies in her stomach.

“Well,” Alex chuckled, “not everyone can pull off the flourishing robe look."

“You say that as if you’ve seen it first-hand.”

“That’s a long story for another time.”

Astra dropped her gaze for a second before meeting Alex with a cautious smile. “I hope so.”


	6. Not Just Any Human

It was late. Later than Alex would be caught in the middle of the night at a stranger’s apartment. Because the owner wasn’t a stranger per say but it was definitely a place she had never visited.

Alex drew her hand over the perfectly made bedspread beneath her. She felt the soft thread count and let it absorb some of the perspiration on her palm. The subtle, flowery scent of detergent could only do so much in calming her nerves.

After being welcomed inside, she had been offered to sit while her host went about the arduous task of recharging her phone. Apparently, Astra left her cell phone at Kara’s and Alex was made to play messenger. God forbid if the alien didn’t have her “dismal excuse of a communication device” on hand.

Alex perched at the end of bed, taking in the studio. She could safely say she’d never seen a more pathetic excuse for living space. It was a small place – about as much as a barista could afford on their equally insignificant salary.

The space lacked the essentials one might find in a normal (i.e. human) home. There was no sign of a television, wall decorations, or fixtures with personality. No evidence of a female or male touch. The walls looked in need a splash of color. Frankly, the place carried a dreary atmosphere.

The kitchenette consisted of a sink, a mini fridge, a microwave, and a stove in disuse. Alex saw a lot of take out in Astra’s past, present, and future.

The apartment did have a paint-chipped radiator. It also uttered an obnoxious clanking noise. It could be considered a furnishing if you counted it as decoration and music. At that depressing thought, Alex made a note to have Astra ask the superintendent about a new one.

A small bookshelf appeared to serve as a bedside table. Stored on its shelves were a growing collection of books. On its top shelf lay a sketchbook and several pens and pencils. Of all the things about Astra’s home, that particular item roused Alex’s curiosity.

It then occurred to Alex. Astra didn’t have a camera, so there were no photographs. She didn’t watch television because she could get that at Kara’s. There were no mementos because she had never taken a vacation or celebrated a holiday.

Kara probably hadn’t thought of any of these things because she expected Astra to seek comfort from her own apartment (perhaps she even held out hope that her aunt would tire of this charade and move in with her). Kara’s nurturing personality kept Astra from developing a home of her own. Even if Astra desired some sense of individuality, she wouldn’t think twice about refusing her niece.

A banging came from the kitchenette, so loud in fact that it overshot the ticking radiator. It sounded – and certainly _looked_ – like Astra was cracking her phone open.

“Do you need any help?” Alex called.

A string of nonsense replied. Though she wasn’t an expert in Kryptonese, Alex did catch a curse word or two.

Astra finally explained in a subdued tone, “Everything is under control.”

Alex rose from the bed and closed in on the crisis. “Whenever you Kryptonians say that, something inevitably breaks.” She took one look at Astra’s situation and bit back a chuckle. “You don’t have to be from another planet to get this wrong.” Alex took the charging cord from her hand, turned the end, and plugged it back in. “There. It just takes a few tries. It’s not perfect.”

Astra stared down at the glowing phone screen, arms crossed and pout firmly in place. “I do not care for all these devices.”

“Astra, it’s literally the only piece of technology you own.”

“For good reason.”

“I get it. You just don’t like asking for help. You’re not the first, so drop the attitude.”

“Is this… sarcasm?”

“It’s tough love,” Alex blurted and regretted it immediately. “An expression; meaning to treat someone harshly for their own good. Just forget it.”

“I understand the expression,” Astra said defensively. “It is a tactic my parents used on me quite often. Would you care for something to drink?”

Strange means of changing the subject, Alex thought.

“No, I’m fine, thanks.”

With her back to Alex, Astra rummaged through the fridge before coming up empty. She shut the door and stood there, pregnant pause at hand. When she turned her hands were working together, much to her annoyance. She placed them on the counter behind her and rested back, looking very informal. But her pose was not all that was informal.

Astra had just returned from her shift at the coffee shop. Considering the late hour, she dressed for the occasion in flannel pajama bottoms and her favorite “I love pizza” shirt. Her hair, frizzy and damp from the shower, had been piled up in a hasty knot. Run away strands framed her face as she continued to push them back behind her ears.

Informal and very revealing.

They were alone in the apartment. Astra’s wearing that damn shirt again and it’s clear from the soft swells and pair of peaks that she’s naked underneath the shirt. To top it off, the manner in which she leaned against the counter puffed out her chest and made things visible without intent.

Well, Alex thought, I did come without an invitation. And what woman doesn’t like going braless in her own home once and a while? Alex certainly wasn’t an exception.

She would be red to her ears if Astra didn’t look so vulnerable. There was something in the way she floundered that boosted Alex’s confidence.

“Those glasses look ridiculous.”

Astra went to remove them. “I suppose they are unnecessary here.”

“Not ridiculous in a bad way,” Alex recovered hastily. “They just make you look, well, not like _you_.”

“The point is to assimilate into human society through appearance and behavior.”

With the glasses off, there was still something off about the appearance as if nothing had changed. Wary of such a ploy, Alex scrutinized her. Bare feet, flannel, enticingly thin shirt, biceps, hand veins, long fingers, _anxious_ fingers… When she reached the eyes she was startled by their vivid gray pigment.

“Why do you care what I think of you?” Alex asked. The number of times she’d asked herself drove the apprehension from her voice. “And don’t tell me it’s because we’re family. This is not about Kara anymore.”

“I thought you knew.” Astra’s frown could have been disappointment or confusion. She proceeded in a tentative manner as a scientist would approach an endangered species. “From very early on, before Myriad, in fact, I have admired you. Your tactical skills make you a fine agent and I have witnessed such in the field. You show honorable persistence in protecting your sister. Though I would argue such unwavering love as detrimental to a soldier, you have made it your strength.”

Alex hung on every word even when a rare case of embarrassment forced Astra’s gaze downward. Her hands returned to their clasped, agitated state.

“I do not make a habit of monitoring my behavior for anyone, especially humans. Self-discipline was a skill widely valued on Krypton for the purpose of competition.  My people showed their worth every day of their lives as if they would be nothing without it. I considered the act of attention seeking deplorable, and I consistently rebelled against such conduct throughout my childhood and as an adult.”

The color of stormy seas leapt from the floor. Her eyes locked with Alex's and held on with a torrid mixture of disbelief and appetite. “But you have proved me otherwise,” Astra said. “Seeking approval aside from your own means nothing to me.”

And everything meant… it finally dawned on Alex. “Oh.”

The eternal rattling from the radiator filled the gap in conversation. That, and the smell of coffee. Its rich aroma hung in the air as if just brewed. The paper to-go cup rested on the counter just beside Astra. Alex drew near.

Following the gaze, Astra explained, “It is a mocha latte. With skim milk. A non-fat mocha latte.”

Alex smiled down at the cup that was now being rotated between her fingers. “I never pegged you as someone who likes these fancy drinks. You give the impression of a more black and bitter brew.”

“The milk and sugar dilute the espresso. My Kryptonian blood does not mix well with caffeine.”

“I know.” Alex blinked and then mumbled vacantly, “Kara.”

“Ah, yes.” Astra cleared her throat. Her eyes panned uncertainly between the cup and Alex. “Would you like to try it?”

“Did you make it?”

Astra nodded.

“Then, yes," Alex stepped closer, hand leaving the cup, "I would.”

It was sheer luck that Astra had actually been drinking it, thereby leaving behind the flavor on her tongue. If she hadn’t, it would have left Alex in a massive state of embarrassment. But at the moment, with her mouth on Astra’s, she couldn’t care less about coincidence.

She had one hand on Astra’s hip and the other pressed against her cheek. When Alex receded her heart was pounding and she was much too afraid to look up. “Did I just read the signs right? Because you look like you wanted to be kissed.”

Before Alex could get another breath in, she was pulled in and kissed back. The clammy hands on her cheeks were far from confident and yet the firm mouth took her in an earnest press of lips.

Alex felt something poke into her back and realized that in the midst of a most simple kiss she had been overpowered. Cornered and practically bent over the counter, Alex tore her mouth away and gasped for air.

“I am sorry,” Astra rushed out. “Have I hurt you?”

“No, no.”

“Beautiful things are delicate.”

Alex felt her face heat up. “Stop that.”

“Stop what?”

“You can’t flatter me and insult me in the same sentence. I’m not brittle.”

Astra expression turned devastated. “But I can hurt you. I can hurt any human. It is the price of my feelings for you.”

The unexpected romance of it bought Alex to a wistful smile. “I’m not just any human,” she claimed, taking Astra’s hand and tugging her back.

Astra’s smile, though a bit grim, managed to lift both their spirits. “No, you are not.”

Alex took her hip again and pulled them together. The woman in front of her felt very near to her – the heat of her body, the arms coiling round, and the softness of her uncradled breasts. It was like making pillowed landfall after so many mistakes and wrong turns. Astra finally got it right for the both of them by accepting it. Time and again she had been wrong and Alex _Not-Just-Any-Human_ Danvers was right. That acceptance softened her and bound them together intimately, making the anticipation of a third kiss much more exhilarating.

Alex stared at Astra’s mouth and watched as it parted for her. Her heart pounded hard enough in her chest to tune out the words “Is this okay?”

Astra nodded once more, equally smitten with Alex’s lips. She dipped in and caught them. It was innocent for a moment before Astra opened her mouth to allow Alex in.

Then it became a completely different kiss, one fueled by thirst quenching desire. Alex tasted the flavor of cocoa and cream and yet it was not the cause of what warmed her to a thorough fervor, a fervor that doubled.

Astra stiffened at first but relented to the flick of a tongue, sweet like the syrup tickling their taste buds. She uttered a moan, a woeful sound of how undeserving she felt to receive the deepening kiss.

A pleasant buzz like fine wine flooded Alex’s veins. It had such a numbing effect she had to break the kiss just to wiggle her fingers and toes to make sure they were still there. This adrenaline, the rush of blood in her ears and the thrumming in her chest, was unlike anything she experienced in the field.

She opened her eyes to see Astra’s closed in peace and her lips whispering, “I have been waiting for you.”

Alex’s face fell. All she wanted to do in that moment was fold this woman up in a bundle of care and assurance. “I’m sorry. I haven’t made it easy for you.”

“Every day I have spent living up to your expectations,” Astra leaned in, blindly seeking out and kissing Alex slowly, “is worth this.”

“You know I don’t despise you,” Alex fought the insecurities bubbling up, “right?”

Alex felt the nodding against her mouth and fell into the arms that held her like they had been together far longer than they actually were. They kissed like they had just made love. Alex didn’t even know what it was like to sleep next to a former combatant and yet her body fell into Astra’s like it had forgiven her a long time ago. Alex’s heart quickened to the realization that she was falling much harder than she originally thought.

“All of a sudden, things seem to be going very fast,” Alex mumbled. Her cheek fell to Astra’s shoulder due the overwhelming weight of what was happening. “I don’t take back anything I said, though.”

Astra nodded. “And I meant every word. What do we do now?”

Alex withheld the snort. “You’re asking me?” At the sly smile drawing across Astra’s lips, Alex rose up and narrowed her eyes. “What?”

“I have an idea.”

* * *

Alex couldn’t explain what it felt like to be tethered to another person until that night. It did not come so much in words than manners and sounds. The night had grown cold and Astra had yet to insulate her windows. There were drafts wherever she stood other than beside Astra, wherever she lay unless it was next to her.

When Astra’s honor kept a gaping space between them, Alex showed her frustration in loud exhales. The sounds beckoned for Astra’s arms, her warm mouth, the vigorous thumps of her heart, anything that afforded Alex the security she desired. It was an odd feeling, wanting a woman she might have killed a month ago. If things had been different, if Alex had more nerve than sentimentality, they would be in very different positions.

Alex wondered how they got here. She couldn’t stand being in the same room with Astra a few weeks ago. She couldn’t take being swept off her feet in a haphazard rescue. When it came to that Kryptonian’s rescue technique, there was always something left to be desired.

After months of animosity, now Alex wanted that same woman to slide over in bed and touch her, kiss her, make her feel a part of something (or someone).

When dawn broke, Alex rose from a deep slumber. The sheet pooled around her neck, keeping her snug from the drafts. She couldn’t account for it until she peeked over her shoulder. Someone’s honor was not as intact as they thought for the general had given in to Alex’s restless sighs.

In the middle of the night, Astra must have slid an arm under her pillow because they were now spooning. Blinking to a more alert state, Alex registered the pressure behind her and how very little space had been left between them. It left her wondering if she ever had this restful of a sleep before and, ultimately, why she wasn’t freaking out.

The vague hours of night rose to the surface of Alex’s memory. She recalled the feeling or dream of being clung to like she was the best thing that ever happened to Astra. Those arms had clung fiercely like Alex would be torn from their otherworldly grip.

It had been a dream. That’s how it felt to be connected to another. It felt like a nice dream.

A moan startled Alex from reverie. Astra turned over in her sleep, lying on her back with her hair spilling over the pillow and a furrow between her brows. Even in sleep Astra was fighting something. There was always a battle going on behind her expression whether she chose to reveal so or not. At the moment, the crease in her forehead spoke for her.

Alex's gaze trailed the pillow. That dark, billowing hair had been kept from the world for weeks and it was just now becoming significant. Alex didn’t dare touch because with one look she was done in.

Anticipating the torrent of emotion, Alex turned back on her side and buried her face into the pillow. Her heart felt like a swollen rock cracking open along its fissures. She just shook harder.

“Why are you crying?”

Alex didn’t turn. She shut her eyes tighter and silently begged Astra not to touch her.

“Alex?”

“I hate you so much.”

The mattress shifted. “I don’t mean to make you feel that way,” Astra said, the hint of a stutter lodged in her throat.

“I just want an answer. Why does it have to be like this?”

Alex turned over. Their eyes met and she read the vulnerability, the crumbling dignity. It reflected back as it had in her voice. Still, Astra carried a radiance no human could hold a candle to.

With jagged breathes coming in and out, Alex asked again, “Why?”

Astra’s face crumpled. Her sigh carried the entire weight of what she had carried for all those weeks. “I am so tired. I thought I could make a place here for myself, but it seems as though I am not very good at being human.”

“Neither am I,” said Alex. “I don’t think there’s a right or a wrong way. Appearances play such a small part. It only matters what is comfortable for you, whether that’s with glasses or without. You can play the role of human if you want, but please… don’t do it for me.”

Alex looked to the outcast strand and took it between her fingers. She smoothed down the white as it caught the sunlight. The lustrous effect held her so intimately that she hardly heard herself mumbling, “This here is just fine by me.”

They fell silent. Their spinning thoughts slowed and dissipated to make room for the senses. The smell of morning came in with the draft and the engines and horns of early commuters could already be heard. A lingering scent of mocha still hung in the apartment. Alex looked at Astra and Astra looked back.

Just as Alex’s eyes were growing heavy, she woke to a finger stroking her inner wrist.

“This is not too fast for you?”

“It’s a good pace.” Alex smiled shyly, closed her eyes, and nuzzled into the pillow. “For now.”


	7. I Always Admired You

When Alex received an urgent hail regarding Kara, she went into overdrive. The response went like clockwork: heart raced, senses heightened, adrenaline pumping, gun loaded. It only took five seconds and she was off.

She sped from home to headquarters in record time. After passing through the security checkpoints, she marched down the main corridor in her combat boots. The gun felt heavy on her thigh and the polo shirt tight across the chest as she took in lung-fulls of air. She hadn’t been running to get here but it certainly felt like it.

J’onn hadn’t given her the details, but his tone said everything and it was telling Alex to hurry. She didn't know where Astra was or if she even received the same call. They’d seen each other a handful of times, usually after Astra’s shift and lasting past the lunch hour through sincere flirtations. They met at the coffee shop because it was convenient. It was also neutral ground and kept the inevitable question of “what comes next” at bay.

But Kara… What had happened to her? Was she hurt? Missing? Alex swallowed the lump in her throat. Dead?

It would be just like her sister to plan something foolish and not tell anyone, least of all Alex, that she was going to go through with it.

“Alex.”

Shit, Alex thought. No ‘Agent Danvers’ meant bad news. She took control of the situation by greeting him just as casually.

“J'onn, what’s going on? You said it was urgent.”

“One of our teams was monitoring an influx of refugees from the Halcyon sector. The DEO had set up a secure camp in the Mojave for them and their families. There they are accustomed to the climate and could be closely monitored. The frequency of clan disputes has increased in the past few days, yesterday proving the most intense. I sent in Supergirl to mediate.”

“How many refugees are we talking about?”

“In the beginning? Fifty participants, but the situation escalated from there and it turned violent. The odds were not in Supergirl’s favor, no matter how strong or how fast she was. There was not enough time for backup to arrive. If she had waited…” His head shook. “I am not going to sugar coat this. Supergirl knew the risks and she made her decision. I can only begrudge the outcome.”

His stance was something to admire – the poise and strength. Until he shifted. Alex followed his gaze to the infirmary. The window blinds were closed for privacy, but as she closed in on the bed and its occupant it all became clear.

Alex had left J’onn in the hallway to stand alone in the ICU.

Supergirl still lay in full regalia, arms limp at her sides and lifeless palms facing down. She had been beaten into a coma, unconscious, and out of reach. Alex was doing okay until she heard the rhythmic beeps of a Kryptonian heartbeat.

The machines rendered Alex frozen. The only thing between Kara and the light of Rao were these inorganic machines and their tactless charm. The sight brought her to angry, heartbroken tears.

Alex couldn’t believe this was happening, even as the proof lay before her very eyes. She fell to the bedside, taking Kara’s hand in hers. She combed her fingers through Kara’s hair in quick, shaky motions. Seeing did not do enough; she had to believe it through touch. Her lips trembled for a place on Kara’s forehead but there were electrodes everywhere. Where was her sister under all of these wires? Where was her hero?

“Hey,” she whispered, fingers continuing to comb as if that alone kept her grounded. “Hey, where’s my girl of steel, huh?”

She smiled in expectation. She curbed any doubt that Kara wouldn’t wake upon hearing her voice and, instead, held on to patience. But after just five minutes it proved futile. Hope, so fragile already, wilted before the expressionless face.

“I… I can’t do this…”

Dragging her hands away, she closed her eyes and whirled away. The sight of her grim mouth, the lack of any physical wound, the sound of breath but no animation… It was unbearable.

Alex turned so quickly she didn’t see the person standing in her path. In her distraught state, she couldn’t know whether they knocked into one another or Alex had fallen.

Whatever the case, she was in the first available arms and it felt better than lying on the floor. Whoever it was, they trembled as violently as she and yet they managed to catch her as if they had been waiting for the plunge.

A watery choking sound came from above.

Alex inhaled and gasped, “Astra.”

The arms enveloped her tighter in response. This close, Alex could almost feel the retribution burning in Astra’s heart. And it occurred to her that one snap judgement was all it took for Astra to grab the people responsible by the throat and throttle them dead. She would take needless risks as Kara had and end up just like her.

It wasn’t enough that Alex had to worry about her sister; she had to fear losing Astra to old ways and a warrior’s honor. She dug her nails into Astra’s back in a plea to stay, to live, to not act like such a stupid alien.

Astra pulled away much too soon for peace of mind. The burn in Alex’s chest still lingered, hot and throbbing. She wiped at her eyes and felt the squeeze to her shoulders and the salty wet kiss to her forehead.

Alex finally looked up through dry eyes to see Astra pull J’onn into the nearest room. The glass barrier kept her from overhearing, so she could nothing but read their body language.

It all seemed well and good in the beginning. Normal conversation and exchange of opinions… but these two had a history of not conversing easily and an even worse record of agreeing.

Astra was offering her hands to J’onn, palms up and bobbed like they held an invisible weight. J’onn’s spine stiffened. He didn’t seem upset but he didn’t look too happy about what Astra had to say either. An argument began. Regarding what, Alex couldn’t tell. They went back and forth, voices raised but not enough to penetrate the soundproof walls.

The desperation in Astra’s eyes shined like a glistening fire. Her fists were clenched to her sides and the vein in her head pulsated. She was clearly holding back.

The muscles stood out in J’onn’s neck as he clenched his teeth and spat sharp words that made Astra recoil. He startled her again by thrusting his hand out. He was pointing and shouting.

Alex followed his finger to Kara. Tears sprung up in her eyes once again. It wasn’t just her sister. Seeing _Supergirl_ bedridden and hooked up to life support made her feel helpless. Alex made a vow to protect both of them and she failed.

When Alex glanced back to the room, the discussion had ended. J’onn was filing out of the room, leaving Astra behind to pick up the shards of her nerve.

Before he got far, Alex raced to head him off. “J’onn, what was all that about?”

He looked away with a flash of irritation. “I can’t believe I called her in. I did it as a favor to Kara and she turns around and demands to take her place.”

The heel of Alex’s boot almost caught on the ground as she advanced. “What?”

He explained at a clipped pace. “She wants to join the DEO, be a part of the team, a temporary replacement until Supergirl recovers.”

“Temporary...”

“And that’s not all. She had the gall to stand there and offer me her full cooperation.” J’onn put his hands on his hips and shifted anxiously from one foot to the other. “Like I don’t know her history! She thinks it would benefit this department to have someone of Supergirl’s caliber on hand.”

“Kara...”

“And she claims to be doing this _for_ Supergirl.”

A muted click-click-click came from Alex’s nail biting.

“Are you hearing me, Alex?” J’onn reared his head forward. “The general wants back in. She’s out of her damned Kryptonian mind.”

Her thoughts raced so fast, Alex had to shake her head. “Wait, what?”

“If you are actually considering the idea – “

“Of course. It’s a good idea. There’s no one else like Supergirl. At least, no one local. Why would you think otherwise?”

“It’s not protocol, for one.”

“There was never protocol when Supergirl came on board. And don’t you think it’s a bit prejudiced of you to single Astra out?” Her voice dropped to a hiss. “You are not from this planet after all. You know better than anyone what it’s like to be rejected from society.”

“This is a government facility. I can’t just let anyone come in here and call the shots.”

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing she’s not just anyone. And don’t you dare say we don’t need her because we damn well do. Or have you forgotten the state of National City’s crime rate in Supergirl’s absence?”

“You are vouching for Astra’s loyalty?”

“I am vouching for her loyalty.”

“You’ve managed to dodge the bottom line: How can we expect her to be as honorable _and_ reliable as Supergirl when she doesn’t care about anyone?”

“She does. You just haven’t given her a second chance.” Alex stepped forward and placed her hands on his shoulders. “Give her a chance to prove herself and I swear...” She nibbled her lip, not out of fear of reprimand but out of fear that her voice wouldn't do the words justice. Swallowing, she set her jaw and said, "Give her a chance and if she doesn’t pass all your tests, fair and square, then let her go. It’s the least you can offer, and if you don’t do that for her, I’m walking."

“Alex…”

“She has already given you her cooperation,” Alex pointed out with a firm nod in Astra’s direction.

J’onn saw how Astra waited in the hallway. Her hands were behind her back and she stood like a soldier, but her gaze shifted between Kara and the conversation between him and Alex. A clear knot of anxiety had taken hold of her, though she seemed well under control.

J’onn’s hands fell from his hips. Wordlessly, he turned and trudged toward Astra. Every step he took spoke to his trust in Alex and how he wouldn’t be putting up with this if it weren’t for her.

From where Alex stood, she could see him exchange words with Astra, presumably along the lines of “You’re hired. Don’t screw up,” if Alex’s lip reading was any good. When he finished, he left to the solitude of his situation room. At least he knew what to expect there.

Astra stood motionless where he left her. She had this dumbstruck look on her face that harked back to a goldfish expression in a coffee shop. Alex now knew why it frustrated her so at the time. It would have been premature to kiss that open mouth and shock the eyes wider behind those glasses.

Alex couldn’t help it. She threw her arms around Astra and held her close – Astra, long curls, silver white strand, that ever present furrow between her eyes. Right there in the middle of the DEO hallway, Alex pressed their foreheads together, blinked back fresh tears, and smiled.

“I’m so proud of you.”

* * *

Over the course of the next few weeks, Astra worked closely with J’onn and Alex. Slowly but surely, they all managed to develop a professional rapport even under his stern, watchful gaze. After the successful missions and valiant efforts to protect Alex and the other team members, Astra earned the long awaited trust and respect from J’onn.

When a crisis erupted, Astra was always first on scene and the last. Every DEO agent upheld a “no soldier left behind” principle and Astra maintained the same. It took a while for her to gain their trust, especially with their history. Project Myriad could not be easily scrubbed from memory, nor could her furtive nature.

But when those responsible for Kara’s injuries surfaced, Astra surprised them all. She put the lives of her fellow team members before revenge. The men and women under Agent Danvers’ command were stumped as to why. They knew she had a familial connection to Supergirl, and, considering her tempter, they fully expected her to wipe out the entire refugee camp without regard for casualties.

But there was also her need to please their commander. Agent Danvers was a reasonable woman and receptive to opinions but a human nonetheless, a species the general scorned from the very beginning. And yet Astra followed every order her commander assigned before their very eyes. No matter how dull her acknowledgement or how hard she bit her tongue, she carried out the directives.

Agent Danvers’ team could not figure out for the life of them why she consulted so regularly and so secretly with their alien backup. Turning over a new leaf this quickly triggered suspicion amongst some, but the majority warmed up to Astra now that she had saved their asses on multiple counts.

For Astra, adjusting to life as Supergirl’s stand in had not been easy. There were massive boots to fill and getting the entire city to trust an anonymous new alien power took time. It did help to have similar powers to Supergirl’s. The familiarity of seeing a woman speeding between skyscrapers put the public’s initial ills at ease.

As for intentions, Astra followed in her niece’s footsteps (with a push from Alex) in saving the city regardless of color, creed, or species. Some did not like this alternative; they would have preferred the original red and blue heroine. Still, Astra stood up for the people who continued to call out for Supergirl.

Astra’s new guise impressed no one more than Alex. If Astra hated being a hero, she didn’t show it. There was a dignity in the way she carried out a mission that reminded Alex of Kara. And yet she didn’t smile or chat up the public like Kara did. There was no discourtesy before the applause and snapping cameras, but she did keep them at arm’s length. She accepted their gratitude with a reserved front, a gentle nod before flying off.

She was recognizable now in the slim body suit and her long curls and silver white streak. Her character (or as Vasquez called her “hero record”) became enriched by saving children from burning buildings, turning over armed robbers to police, and apprehending extraterrestrial threats. She was developing quite the reputation and Alex couldn’t be prouder. As far as J’onn was concerned, Astra received a nod of approval from him about once a week – a great improvement from the signature Martian death glare.

In the meantime, Astra and Alex had grown closer. Their affinity for each other deepened as had their intimacy. But the amount of time they spent at the DEO did not afford much time to discuss their relationship or the fact that Kara was not there with them. Alex clamed up every time her sister was mentioned. She felt lost without her and knew this alienated the others from her. Poor Astra was in the same position with the only difference being that she didn’t have the twelve years of bonding with Kara that Alex had. The two sisters were much closer than she thought, and perhaps she was a bit envious of that.

To avoid the tension, they threw themselves into their work. Alex’s schedule had never before been so rigid. She worked tirelessly to put down resistance during the day and when she wasn’t on tactical duty she camped out in her lab trying to find a cure for a Kryptonian coma.

As much as Alex had gotten used to working with Astra, she was also growing familiar with spending her after work hours with Astra. After she hung up her gear or her lab coat, she’d pull up a chair beside Kara and watch over her, waiting and hoping. Astra would stop by later with a caffeine pick-me-up and join her in keeping Kara company. The silence didn’t hurt so much then.

With Astra’s role as Supergirl’s interim replacement in firm place, her stint as barista came to an end. The transformation back to playing a Kryptonian 24/7 posed many questions. Alex was forced to confront the reality that the woman she had crushed on for the past month would not be returning. There would always be a seed of doubt in her mind; that there were two different Astras and she might love one more than the other. But which one?

Being with barista Astra was like sitting in her first car with her first girlfriend and making out to Duncan Sheik’s “Barely Breathing.” Alex had butterflies in her stomach every time she saw Astra’s smile or when her eyes lit up. But like all of Alex’s previous relationships, there was an impractical undercurrent to it. It never really felt like love.

Being with the real Astra was like getting the wind knocked out of her. She had such an admiration for this Kryptonian heart. This Astra seemed to bring out the raw emotion in Alex without ever holding back or pulling a single punch. She inspired an overwhelming sense of anger and jealousy and affection. When she spent time with this Astra, their bond wasn’t always perfect but it did feel genuine.

When Alex was with Astra in the air, she couldn’t smell the coffee in her hair. It turned her off a little, but she did miss the dark chocolate curls. The great burst of speed returned her hair to its natural springy state while the breeze purged the coffee odor. Unlike the embrace from a junkyard rescue, this one wrapped her in a blanket of security no matter how many feet, stories, or miles were beneath them.

Alex may always be conflicted between the two. Astra’s eyes penetrated her while her human guise caressed her. Her lip curled but not in that wide smile that got Alex’s heart going. Like all relationships, accepting someone as they were was a matter of compromise.

At night, Alex had taken to staying at Astra’s. She found that at the end of the day all she wanted to feel safe was to be with Astra. She couldn’t sleep otherwise; images of Kara’s body in the morgue haunted her. Alex's apartment may still house her possessions but it no longer felt like a safe haven. The last place she wanted to end up after a long day was a place where she was surrounded by Kara in pictures, half-eaten cartons of ice cream, and post it note smiley faces.

On one ordinary night marked by a taco delivery from Chicago, Alex and Astra spent most of their down time watching television in bed. Alex had to use every persuasive bone in her body to get any piece of technology into that apartment. For the television, it took several sweet nuzzles and a promise not to keep pressing the sleeper on the alarm every morning (“If you set it for 5 o’clock, awake at 5 o’clock. Do not delay the inevitable and _do not_ make me cross.”)

Waking to a grumpy Kryptonian who withheld morning kisses was not an ideal start to Alex’s day, so their bargain was a successful example of compromise. Their recent trip to Best Buy (running along the lines of the IKEA Relationship Milestone) revealed a new side of Astra _el cheapo_ In-Ze. Alex didn’t regret pitching in the extra bucks to get high definition because, honestly, who would watch _Game of Thrones_ with anything other than crystal clear picture and sound?

Alex and Astra lay facing each other in the dark, dozing off and on in the glow of the television. They huddled under several layers of blankets because Astra still hadn’t sealed her windows. That might have been the intent based on Astra’s proclivity to create heat on her own terms.

Alex blinked her eyes open at the brushing against her cheek. The touch migrated down for the corner of her mouth in soft pecks. The thick, drowsy feeling dissipated at once.

Astra kissed her again. “I am quite fond of this… being able to kiss you when I want.”

The mattress under Alex had a soft give that made it a bit of a chore to sit up. Once she was settled back against her pillow she evaluated the half-lidded, well rested eyes. “You say that like it’s been on your mind.”

Astra brought Alex back to her mouth. “As I said earlier, I always admired you.”

“Yeah, but admiration is different than attraction. Wait,” Alex held off the next approach with a hand splayed to Astra’s sternum, “were you attracted to me when we met?”

Astra gave her this innocent look that just made Alex want to punch her (or kiss her harder). This was getting frustrating. “Astra!” she nearly choked. “Which is it?”

“It depends.”

“On what?”

“If you prefer the pace of our relationship to escalate.”

Frustration did not begin to describe how Alex felt in that moment. Frustrated and utterly turned on at the prospect of crossing yet another line with Astra. Just the other day they nearly got caught making out in the DEO lab – by _J’onn_ of all people. In the midst of a heated debate on endosymbiosis, Alex discovered that a flustered, ego-wounded Kryptonian was just too adorable to get away.

At the moment, the combined forces of frustration and thrill ignited some sexual tension Alex intended to sate.

With a flushed sigh, she turned on Astra. “Yes, alright? I’m perfectly fine escalating this. Just answer the question: did you have a crush on me?”

Chuckling, Astra pulled Alex on top of her and slid her hands up naked sides. The motion loosened Alex’s shirt and punctuated a quiet gasp.

“If you _must_ know…” Astra dragged off with a kiss and proceeded to reveal her secret in very explicit detail.

* * *

The aroma of non-fat mocha latte teased Kara’s nose. The warm, milky sweetness roused her from her comatose state. She had no sense of time or place. If the coffee hadn’t brought her such a wealth of calm, she would have been freaking out.

Kara perked up in bed, eyes squinting in the dimness. The flowery scent of day lilies brought her to the glass vase imprinted with the particular whorls of her boss’ finger pads. She also noted the smell of antiseptic… cinder-block walls and... again, that tasty mocha.

Kara picked up the faraway chatter between Vasquez and J’onn… something about “ma’ams getting a room?" Their voices sounded different – older somehow. No longer did Vasquez sound like a woman taking orders. And J’onn was treating her like his equal.

Kara was at DEO headquarters. And by the feel of the itchy cotton gown and the electrodes attached to her head, she was in the infirmary. But something was definitely off in a Twilight Zone kind of way.

When her vision sharpened, Kara noticed the closed blinds. The reason didn’t occur to her until she panned to the left. The chairs were flush against each other making it possible for their occupants to get as close to their heart's content. Astra had her arm around Alex. Alex was reclined back and nestled in Astra’s neck. Her fingers were laced with the hand dangling off her shoulder. They were fast asleep.

There was a familiarity about how they looked together. Like they had been holding hands like that far longer than either would have expected. When Kara’s gaze fell on their hands, she finally took notice of the silver white sparkle.

Kara bolted upright to better gape at her aunt’s engagement ring. “ _W-oah_ ,” she choked out. “How long was I _out?!_ ”


End file.
